Bill Cowher, seen with Ben Roethlisberger during Super Bowl XL, says the quarterback was well liked by his teammates. (Amy Sancetta / Associated Press)

There are varying reports that Ben Roethlisberger was not very popular with his teammates. Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher does not necessarily agree with that.

Cowher — who coached the enigmatic quarterback for three seasons — joined Boomer Esiason on WFAN in New York on Monday morning (via Sports Radio Interviews) and said that Roethlisberger was liked by his teammates. Of course, winning had a lot to do with it.

But his suspension could hurt that.

“You know what Boom, I think we like anybody that can help us win football games,” Cowher said. “I think there’s no question that this guy, on the football field is tremendously respected by his teammates and he’s respected by opponents. He’s a talent. The guy is an unbelievable competitor.

“He’s got a great feel for the game, but certainly with some of the things that have been brought on in the last couple of years, it kinda puts a damper on it. I think again, as you know, the bottom line is trying to win football games. …

“The one thing you want to make sure the players do is they don’t do anything to dampen your ability to win football games. What Ben has done is put himself in a situation where he’s gonna miss six games. Hopefully he’ll do the right thing and minimize that to four.”

Cowher added that he thought the suspension would be good for Roethlisberger and that this should be an eye-opener for the quarterback. And because of that, Cowher does not believe that Roethlisberger will be traded.

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